Lenin: A Study in the Unity of His Thought (Verso Classics) [Paperback]

Georg Lukacs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998 | Series: Verso Classics

The book Lenin: A Study in the Unity of His Thought is the product of an unprecedented, and unrepeatable, conjuncture. Written immediately after Lenin's death in 1924, and thus on the cusp of a period of bureaucratic reaction in the Communist movement, it consists of the reflections of the most important Marxist philosopher of the twentieth century on the thought of the most significant Marxist politician of the century. In sharp contrast to contemporary and later characterisations of Lenin either as a cynical and shallow opportunist or as a source of ready-made dogmas and formulae, Georg Lukacs restored to Lenin's thought its true intellectual and political stature. Bringing to bear the concepts of totality, concreteness and the dialectic that he had developed in his masterwork History and Class Consciousness, Lukacs convincingly demonstrated that the key conceptual innovations in Lenin's political thought - the revolutionary alliance of the proletariat and the peasantry, the role of the vanguard party, the analysis of imperialism and national liberation movements, the state as a weapon of class struggle and the unifying force of the Soviets - constituted fundamental ruptures with the mechanical fatalism that had hitherto characterised 'official' Marxism. In Lukacs elegantly crafted, concise and accessible account, Lenin emerges as the consummate dialectician, the 'theoretician of practice and the practitioner of theory'.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The definitive study of Lenin's political theory. -- Observer

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Verso (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8170462681
• ISBN-13: 978-1859841747
• ASIN: 1859841740
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,717,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosopher of Praxis, May 18, 2000

By 

R A Westerman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lenin: A Study in the Unity of His Thought (Verso Classics) (Paperback)

Lukács's biographical sketch was written just after Lenin's death, and was his personal response to the leader of the Russian Revolution. Following the Hegelian lines of his main early theoretical work, "History and Class Consciousness", in "Lenin" he portrayed the Russian leader as a "philosopher of praxis". By this he meant that Lenin represented a dialectical unity of theory and practice; he took Marxist theory and applied it to actual circumstances, to guide the Revolution. Lukács discusses, for example, the role of the Party in the Revolution; he argues that the party must be in dialectical interaction with the proletariat, both being created by them, and helping to create their consciousness. Lenin is therefore seen as the epitome of Marxist-Hegelian philosophy.

Equally, however, "Lenin" is a very personal response to Lenin the man and the revolutionary leader. In the light of his earlier aesthetic works, particularly "Theory of the Novel", it seems that Lukács saw Lenin as a Tolstoyan or Dostoevskyan hero; Lenin was the individual agent able to bring out the essence of totality for the good of society.

"Lenin" is a rich and rewarding book; moreover, being far simpler than much of Lukács's work, it serves as an excellent introduction to the main themes of his thought. It offers a fascinating philosophical interpretation of Lenin, as an example for Marxist revolutionaries to follow. At the same time, however, it provides a deep insight into Lukács, helping to understand why this sensitive aesthetic theorist managed to convince himself to accept the excesses of the Russian Revolution. In that sense, it helps even those unsympathetic to Marxism understand what attracts people to this revolutionary theory.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lenin: A Study in the Unity of His Thought, August 7, 2006

By 

Jose - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lenin: A Study in the Unity of His Thought (Verso Classics) (Paperback)

Sir:

I did purchase the same day this book by Lukacs together with the book by David Romer Advanced Macroeconomics. However, I have received only the book by Romer.

Thanks for your atttention

Jose Oscategui